Interviews and commentary by Rui Pastorin
A little boy’s feet dangled from his seat as he sat opposite me during a bus ride. He was a talkative, smart looking boy of about four and from what I gathered, he had just finished a long day at kindergarten. Given his small stature, I wouldn’t have been wrong in thinking that perhaps just one sharp turn would send the boy flying from his seat, but that wasn’t likely as he had someone who was going to make sure that didn’t happen: his helper.
She was seated next to him, clutching his water bottle and school bag. And as the ride went on, she started asking him questions about what he had learnt in kindergarten that day. And, with a thick accent, also playfully repeated some of the vocabulary she had been hearing, asking the young boy for clarification, all the while looking at him with tender and loving eyes.
I started to think about what that young woman’s story was. Back home, did she have a child of her own? Did she have to leave a child behind in search of better opportunities elsewhere? And as she looked at the young boy that she was sitting with, did her mind ever wander into wishing that it was her child that she was picking up from school?
These are all assumptions and guesses, but it’s a story and unfortunate reality that many like myself are no stranger to hearing. Macau was, after all, home to 183,568 non-resident workers (NRW) as of April this year, according to data from the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL). And each of those people is not just a statistic or employee. They each have a story to tell, just as they have their own reasons for needing to leave home and work abroad.
As an example, some might share a similar story to a chef in his thirties who works at a local restaurant, telling the Post yesterday that he has lived in Macau for around two years. Life in the city is something that he is generally happy with, but his priority has always been his family.
With a wife and one-year-old back home, he had to make a difficult decision in order to support them. “My wife was pregnant when I had to make the decision to leave. It was hard for me to just leave and let her go into labour without being by her side. But I needed to. I’m the father and a father has to make a living for his family”, he said, promising himself and his family that eventually, everyone would be together. “I tell them to hold on”, saying that family is his driving motivator. “Working here is really for them”, and with whatever may come, patience is key.
But this isn’t to say that there isn’t a silver lining for those choosing to work abroad. A 28-year-old Indonesian woman who works in the hotel industry said that working abroad was not really something she planned on doing. But when the time came to do so, she said she found life away from home to be enjoyable.
Despite being far away, she said she was very happy in Macau, having worked here for about six years. “I love Macau. I am happy every day”, said the 28-year-old, adding that her philosophy towards life is to avoid overthinking, wanting to enjoy its moments and make the best of what there is. And this optimism is shared by a Nepalese man who has worked in security for 12 years in Macau, with the 45-year-old being satisfied with his life in the city.
At the end of the day, there are stories to be found among those who decide to make the move to work abroad and become important contributors to Macau’s economy. And these are stories that deserve not only to be told, but be heard, too.
Pedestrians browse vendor stalls in the neighbourhood of Rotunda de Carlos da Maia, colloquially known as Three Lamps (三盞燈), an area frequented by many members of Macau’s non-local communities, during celebrations of the 27th Macao Myanmar Overseas Chinese Water Festival in April. The vicinity is known for its strong presence of immigrants and non-local workers from Myanmar. – Photo: Rui Pastorin
